Hunky Heartbeet Cabbage Soup

February 13, 2017Angela (Oh She Glows)

by Angela (Oh She Glows) on February 13, 2017

If you’ve been following my Insta Stories this year, you might’ve seen that one of my smaller goals for 2017 is to use reusable produce bags. It’s something I’ve tried in the past but never stuck with, so when I told Eric about the goal he wasn’t sure that I would actually do it. Especially since I’ve had a pretty bad case of new-mama brain lately. “This is going to last a week!” he chuckled. But here I am 6 weeks into 2017 and it’s going great…mainly because proving him wrong is one of my greatest joys in life.

These are the bags I purchased on Amazon. I love that there are various sizes, and so far they’re holding up well! Adriana has also claimed one and likes it when I add a few light groceries into her “grocery bag” while she sits in the cart. Just remind me not to put a clementine in there again; she thinks it’s pretty funny when she bites through the skin.

You may suspect we’re living off of soup these days due to how many soup recipes I’ve shared over the past few months, and you might be right! Soup has been our go-to solution during the hectic postpartum season because I can make a big batch and the leftovers only get better as the days go by.

My aunt recently had us over for lunch, and she made this incredible borscht-inspired soup that I immediately knew I had to try to make at home. I couldn’t believe how few ingredients she used for a soup that blew us all away. Her secret? A jar of marinara sauce forms the soup’s base. My jaw dropped! I recreated the soup at home the very next day, and my jaw dropped again when Adriana ate 3 bowls of it in a row. She was covered in beet stains by the end, but it was worth it because I never thought she’d eat this kind of soup. Heck, I never thought I would enjoy beets in soup either, but it’s our new obsession. So if you’re worried about a beet and cabbage soup being a bit too earthy-tasting, I encourage you to give this one a try. It’s surprisingly sweet, and really satisfying. I’m also convinced the healthy ingredients helped me fight off a cold that was going through our household, too. It’s bursting with Vitamin C, iron, and B vitamins, making it a great immune-booster this time of the year!

4.9 from 51 reviews

Hunky Heartbeet Cabbage Soup

Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free

By Angela Liddon

You won’t believe the gorgeous colours in this incredibly healthy, borscht-inspired soup, from the prep stage (gorgeous shades of plum and violet) to the final end result (a bold crimson red). It's the perfect soup to celebrate Valentine's Day (or really, to brighten up any chilly winter day). This soup takes an hour and a half to cook thanks to the raw beets, so be sure to give yourself enough time; the bonus is that you can cover it and walk away as it simmers. To avoid a longer cook time, chopping the beets very small (think pea- or almond-size) is key. A big thank-you to my Aunt Elizabeth for inspiring this soup.

Directions:

Add the coconut oil into a large pot. Over medium heat, sauté the onion for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Add the diced cabbage and beets. Stir again. Continue sautéeing for another few minutes.

Add all of the marinara sauce and the water. Stir to combine. Simmer the soup, covered, over low to medium heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the beets are fork-tender. Your cook time may vary depending on how fresh your beets are and how small you chopped them. (If it’s your first time cooking the soup, you may want to check on it a few times and stir to to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom of the pot.)

Taste and season with salt to taste. Ladle into a bowl and serve with a spoonful or swirl of Cashew Sour Cream and chopped dill if desired, but it's great all on its own, too.

This soup will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. It freezes beautifully, too: Simply cool the soup and place it into a freezer-safe container, leaving an inch of space at the top for expansion. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Tips:

** If you can find it, I highly recommend using White Linen Collection Marinara Sauce from Costco in this recipe. I use 1 full bottle, which works out perfectly to about 5 cups. It’s my favourite store-bought marinara sauce (I have no affiliation with them, by the way, just passing along my personal recommendation!). My Fail-Proof Marinara Sauce from Oh She Glows Every Day is also lovely in this soup!

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Blessings in a Backpack update:

If you remember, we committed to donating the January revenue from our paid Get Glowing app bundle (for both Android and iOS) to Blessings in a Backpack Canada. I’m thrilled to let you know that we raised enough money to feed 19 children, providing them with a backpack of food to take home every Friday, for an entire school year! A BIG thank-you to everyone who downloaded the bundle of recipes. We couldn’t have done this without you!

Beets are not usually my thing, but you’ve just convinced me to give this a chance. That color is stunning- and jarred marinara? That’s one of the best things about cooking- there’s always something new to learn and try.

Try the polite bite, Suzanne. Every meal, snack or dessert you make, they have to try one bite. This is the first rule to apply when dealing with picky eaters, small or big. If new tastes and textures never touch their taste buds, they will never learn to love eating new, unfamiliar foods.

Thanks- I appreciate your input …I actually did that for a long time…but it never really got easier and I did not feel a fight was worth it…. 2 of my guys are much better as they get older…one digs his heels in more and I do not want to create more food issues for him ….it is such a balance.

Suzanne, I definitely can relate. It’s so hard to convince picky eaters to try new foods. My kids are the best eaters ever (and part of what I do is to help picky eaters become great eaters), but I am a recovering extreme picky eater. I am still encouraging myself to try different foods (I am looking at you, cucumbers!) and it’s so hard to smell/taste/chew the ones I don’t like.
Good luck and don’t stop trying :)!

this looks simply amazing, can’t wait to try it! unfortuntely i have to stick to my gluten free diet but this is great, because i can enjoy it without having to rework the recipe. thanks so much for sharing it! if you ever need more inspiration, i’d love you to stop by eatwholegreens.com for some vegan awesomeness! see you there :)
cheers, stäf | www.eatwholegreens.com

It won’t be quite the same, but it will work well enough. I have a Russian/Ukrainian background, and on a few occasions, I’ve subbed precooked beets in traditional recipes. You’ll have to play a bit with the cooking time on the soup.

Yes, I think it could work, although I don’t think the soup would have to cook for 90 minutes if using pre-cooked. Maybe 45 minutes? I think it would be fine, but you’d have to keep an eye on it. You could add the beets a bit later too. :)

Hi Hillary, I haven’t tried it yet, unfortunately! If you try anything please let us know. The biggest question mark would be how long it takes to cook and at what temperature setting. I haven’t slow cooked beets before so I’m not sure how long they take. I would try Googling a slow cooker recipe with beets to see what they suggest.

Ah! My son-in-law loves beets and I’m visiting them next weekend. So, since this weekend is going to be a rainy one sounds like the perfect time to give this recipe a whirl. I have an awesome (non-vegan) borscht that I do, but always looking for new vegan recipes for myself and my cooking club. Will follow-up with my results…d

Just tried my first bowl. So very good! I danced around my kitchen it was that good! Of course I like beets so I may be a bit biased. I am glad to hear about the slow cooker without the coconut oil method. I made it too thick, but I am thinning it out.

Hey Angela! This recipe looked very intriguing and colorful, so I gave it a try right away! It was a delicious soup.. I loved the flavors as well as the simple ingredient list. To be honest, I am going to make this my new marinara sauce by pureeing everything together once the soup is cooled, and then stick it in the freezer. What a great way to sneak extra veggies into a pasta sauce and to give the dish such a vibrant color!

Also wanted to say how much I have enjoyed your blog over the years. I don’t write on here very often, but please know your hard work and beautiful food is appreciated and loved by us all! Best to you and your family in 2017.

I made this soup today and it was absolutely delicious! The only change I made was to use a yellow onion because I didn’t have red on hand. I also used the OSG app to follow along with the recipe as I cooked. Thank you!!

I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Made a few modifications by adding some crushed red pepper, garlic powder, black pepper and dry dill. I used creme fraishe since I’m not vegan and it made it super decadent. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Love your blog.

I’ve been using reusable produce bags for about a year now and I love love love them! The only thing that I bring home in plastic anymore is spinach (because they don’t sell it without plastic here). My bags have a drawstring so they close quick and easy, and stay closed well. I even use my cloth produce bags for “wet” items like broccoli, carrots, parsley etc. and just put them in a grocery bag (also cloth) together. (Don’t put them with a paper bag of flour!) Then – because the bags are made of organic cotton – I can just throw them in the washing machine with the rest of my clothes to clean them occasionally. They even have the tare weight on their tag so it can be subtracted at checkout. (Okay, now I really sound like an advertisement, which is just proof of how much I love these things.) Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Ecology-Reusable-Shopping-Bags-Set/dp/B00B5M4JQ8/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1487615865&sr=1-5&keywords=cotton+produce+bags

Hi Angela, I love your recipes and my grown kids and their partners love them too :-)
I know you don’t calorie count but I have a chronic health condition that restricts my exercise, I therefore need to watch my weight. I have been putting on weight and I need to reign it in. it would really help if the nutritional info was included.
I’ve seen that it’s included for your second book but can’t find it for the first book. Is it available?

Hi Claire, Unfortunately, the information isn’t available for my first book. However, online tools like caloriecount.com and nutritiondata.com, and even some free apps like MyFitnessPal, offer great calculators for nutritional data. Just plug in the recipe’s information and you’re all set! :)

Long-time follower, but almost never commenter! This soup is incredible and super easy really. I made it while my family was away, just in case as they are not beet lovers and I almost ate the whole thing, so good! I forced my husband to try it, and despite the cringing look on his face as he tasted it (he HATES beets), he then said, “Oh, wow, that’s pretty good!” I can’t wait to make a double batch this week and freeze half of it. Thank you for this awesome recipe (and all your others, which are staples in our house!!) My sister and I constantly send your recipes back and forth to each other, saying have you tried this one?? Thanks again!

I am Polish, and I make borscht ALL the time. This soup is AMAZING!!! It tastes so much like borscht it’s unreal. A lot quicker to make, and obviously meat free (unlike the big old ham bone we use). I’ve given tupperware containers full to all my family. Will absolutely be making this again!

I made this recipe this past weekend and I HIGHLY recommend it. My meat-eating BF loved it! I had some celery left over and threw that in just to get rid of it. Always looking for ways to get rid of celery… somehow I always end up with more than I need. I also used Rao’s (my fav) marinara sauce, which comes with 4 cups instead of 5 cups. So, I sub-ed in one cup of veggie broth – worked out great. Thanks for another great recipe, Angela! :)

We’ve made this a couple of times now and our family loves it (including the 2.5 year old)! FYI, it’s REALLY good with pistachios and shaved raw brussels sprouts (adding some raw cruciferous vegetables on top of the soup will supply you with the enzymes you need to get the most benefits from the sulforaphane in the cooked cabbage!).

Wow!! I love this soup! I love borscht and I think the white linen marinara really adds something. For all those comments saying it looks amazing, well let me tell you it tastes even better. Easy to make too. Love love love it!!!!!

I thought this soup was okay but not wonderful the evening I made it (the marinara was too bright. We don’t have a Costco membership, and maybe with the marinara you recommended it would be better on the first night). Each successive day, it’s gotten better and better as the marinara mellowed and here I am eating the last of it 5 days later and it’s the best ever. I am so sad there was only a cup left because I love it and want more. A lot more.

Angela, my solution to plastic produce bags is to use cloth bags. I bought about 2 metres of green broadcloth and sewed them in various sizes. They are open on the top so the cashier can peak inside. I just stuff them in my grocery bags and off I go. They are washable if they get icky.

I make beet soup (borscht) a lot, as I am Russian haha. I make it slightly different, as I add some cubed potatoes and a can of beans ( white or kidney, any really). Makes it really hearty and filling, as beans add in the protein! This recipe looks really good though, for a lighter option! We eat the soup with russian black bread and raw garlic, dipped into salt (just careful, that you don’t eat garlic before going out somewhere haha) ;)

I suddenly thought that this dish looks a little similar with Kimchi, which is a spicy korean dish. They also use cabbage (sometimes raddish) for kimchi, by the way. Now I’m thinking, can beets be a good ingredient or alternative for a kimchi dish?
I’m really craving for some spicy stuff right now. Maybe you can share me some of your mouth watering and spicy dish. I’d love to make one. Thanks in advance Angela!

Happened to have some leftover roasted beets in the fridge so used them instead of the raw ones. Only had organic diced canned tomatoes on hand so used them instead of the Marinara. Shortened the cooking time of course. This was a FABULOUS soup. Thank you so much for one more great addition to my repertoire. You have made me a fantastic vegan cook.

This soup is amazing! It was as if you looked into my fridge and said, “I know exactly what you should make with those veggies you have in there”…
I was a little skeptical about the marinara but I gave it a shot and this soup blew me away! So delicious!

Great staffs!!! I like all the things about kitchen and my best friend Ellena referred me to visit here. I have to tell you that, i’m really very pleased to read about you and your blog. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and I’ve no regrets being here!! :)

I like your site very much. Lots of information you provided and the excellent part is people are engaging with you. This feels actually good when you comment back. Thanks for sharing and also engaging with us.

Making this soup for the second time tonight and I can’t wait! It was such a hit that I’m doubling the recipe. We love the Kirkland organic marinara from Costco and it worked beautifully in this soup. Thanks for including simple recipes like this that pack big flavour.

Hi, I just wanted to say I love beets and this may be my new favorite way to cook borschch! I used Gia Russa sauce and I find that it works great because it’s slightly spicy so it adds a nice depth. Love the recipe, thank you!

Hi! I love your recipes, have you ever tried to make vegan Spanish tortilla? This is the only good recipe I could find online:
https://www.eco-wanderlust.com/blog/vegan-tortilla-recipe
You should post a recipe for one!

This was fantastic, thank you so much! It looks SO gorgeous when served, such an amazing colour.

I didn’t have marinara sauce so I just used plain tomato sauce instead and seasoned appropriately, and I also added celery for a bit more chunk. This made for VERY large, satisfying portions for very low calories and it was delicious.

This looks great, and I love the shortcut of using marinara sauce. But I usually add in the beet greens into my borscht. What do you think about cutting back on some of the cabbage and adding in the beet greens and stalks?

I love this recipe. Making it for the 2nd time in two weeks – and I never do that. So easy and so yummy. One caveat to folks out there – if you use a mix of wild rices, it needs to be cooked a bit longer. Not sure how much longer actually because I needed to serve it so finished off the rice portion in the microwave. Going to do white rice like the recipe calls for this time.clean water clean earth

Hi, this looks lovely and I have cabbage and bet ready for the taking in my garden right now! Thanks for the recipe!
Do you ever post nutritional information for your recipes? If not I will plug the ingredients into Sparkrecipes.
Thanks again.

It makes a big batch for just two of us. But I took it to work for lunch every day and did NOT get tired of it – in fact, I came to CRAVE it every day and was sorry by Friday when it was all gone! Unique flavor. Didn’t do the sour cream option. Just a good bread to go with it. Thank you!

Made it, loved it, used the leftovers smothered over noodles with feta cheese and it was just as good! And incase you were thinking you could shave cooking time by brunoise-ing the beets, they’ll still take over an hour. Worth it!

Made this for dinner tonight – it was great!! I didn’t want to attempt to peel and chop rock hard raw beets so I roasted them in the oven before making the soup so the skins would slide off easily (since I discovered this method, I don’t want to deal with beets any other way). Then I followed the soup recipe and added the roasted, chopped beets at the very end. It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

I’ve made this soup four times in the past year and it has been my absolute favourite comfort food in the last few months! It’s also great to make in batch and eat over the course of a week and I enjoy topping it off with a little yoghurt and pumpkin seeds. I have even converted my beets hating mother into eating this!

Love this soup! Made it few times last year. Just one thought- beets don’t need an hour of cooking, really may be 10-15 min because of the small pieces. I am making this soup right now once again! Thanks for the delish recipe.

This is delicious! I seriously did not expect it to be this good. Super hearty and satisfying, and the cashew sour cream on top of a bowl adds perfect richness to the soup. I had always wanted to try borscht but thought it looks intimidating. Your take on it is so easy and low maintenance! Will be making this again. Thank you!

I just pulled the beets from my garden and was looking for something to make. I cooked the beets in my instapot to make the peeling easy, and added the beet greens to not waste them- really good.
Fingers crossed that my 3 1/2 year old daughter will like this as well!

This was yummy but I added in soy sauce and vinegar to add a little bit more depth. And that just hit the spot. I love how this recipe is so easy, superhealthy and so cheap to make! Only set back, you really need to find quality beetroot else the flavour won’t be there.

Hey Amy, That’s a great question and I’m sorry I haven’t tried it out before so I’m not sure! I’m not sure how it would impact the texture and flavour…would take some experimentation probably! If you try anything I would love to hear how it goes.